Snap fastening device



April 1940. F N Ross'` sm msme DEVICE Filed July 6. 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 lgl.

April 16, 1940. F. N. Ross SNA? FASTENAIHG DEVICE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IFT/vena?? vfel Patented Apr. 16, 1940 l UNITED s'iATEs SNA? FAsTENmG nEvIcn Frederick 18g-ms, Detroit, auch., assixnnr ic, Cinch Manufacturing Corporation, a corporation of Illinois Application July s, 1988,: vsci-nu No. 88,981

' 1v cam. (cruzw My invention aims to provide improvements in snap fastener members, installations of the same and methods by which the fasteners are attached to a supporting structure. My -improved fastener member is particularly, though not exclusively, useful for securing. an upholstery panel to a framework. l

In the drawings, which illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention:

l Figure 1 is a fragmentary view-in elevation of Y an upholstery panel illustrating the lfastener assembly of the invention and showing two ways of attaching the fasteners tothe backing through a margin of the nishing material overlapping the backing;

Fig. 2 is a section of a portion of an automobile door with the upholstery Panel secured thereto by means of my improved fastener member;

Fig. 3 may be a section of a portion of an upholstery panel showing my improved fastener member in position for final attachment thereto;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of an upholstery panel and a tool means by which the finishing material overlapping an aperture on one side of the backing is cut out so as to allow my fastener member to be attached to the panel;

Fig, 5 is a sectional view of an upholstery panel and fastener member showing a portion of the tool means by which the fastener member is so nally secured to the panel;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of my. improved fastener member per se;

Fig. 'l is a front plan view of the fastener member shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a bottom plan view of the fastener member shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 9 is a side view, partly in section, of the fastener member shown in Fig. 6; and Fig. 10 isa front view, partly in section, of the fastener member shown in Fig. 6.

Referring to Fig. 2 of the drawings, I have shown an upholstery installation which comprises a part to be upholstered and an upholstered part for covering one side thereof and a fastener mem- .45 ber which engages with the part to be upholstered to hold the upholstered part in assembled relation therewith.

'I'he part to be upholstered is, as illustrated in Fig. 2, an automobile door I vhaving a metal frame v50 2 which has a stud-receiving aperture 3 formed therein. The upholstery panel, as illustrated in Figs. l-3, comprises a relatively `sti i backing l' ishing material 5 to givea finished, appearance to the inside'of the door when secured tothe frame y 2. Between the-backing andthecover I- have provided a layer of'wadding 11.(Fig's. 2 and -3) which is useful -to the panel installation for a rea- 5 son which will lbe described.

The finishing material 5, in my preferred form of -upholstery panel, is lapped along the margin of the inside surface of the panel by being glued or otherwise fastened in' place, as illustrated in ,10

Figure 1. lAIn some forms of upholstery panel the nishingmaterial overlies the preformed apertures 5 of the backing 4. In order that access may be gained to an aperture 5 of the backing for securing-my fastener member to the same, I 15 have shown in Figure 1 the finishing material cut out as at 8 around an aperture 5 in a wellknown manner. However, it has been found that cutting out the finishing material in the manner shown at 8 takes a relatively great amount of time and 20 labor and for that reason I have provided a tool means for removing the finishing materialI overlapping the apertures of the backing in an l efllcient and relatively quick manner. The tool means, as illustrated in Fig'. 4, isa form of dink- 25 in'g die having an outer casing comprising a sleeve 9 and a base III. The base I0 has a solid portion I I integral with the sleeve 9 and a hollow tubular' portion I2 having a peripheral cutting edge I3 at its free end. Assembled with the outer casingy 80 of the die is a combination stripperand pilot means having a shank Il extending through the solid portion` II of the base III and slidably mounted within the sleeve 9 and a beveled pilot means I5 provided at one endof the shank Il. 85 l The pilot means I5 is normally disposed below the peripheral cutting edge I3 andv held in that posi `,tion against the action of a coil spring I6 disposed between the pilot means I5 and the solid portion Il. 4u

In cutting out the finishing material the upholstery panel ismoved under the Ydie until the covered aperture 5 substantially underlies `the beveled surface of the pilot means I5, at which time downward pressure is exerted upon the outer casing of the die contracting the coil spring I6 so as to enable the peripheral cutting edge I3 to cut outv the portion of the finishing material overlying theaperture 5 and material of the backing l4 adjacent thereto substantially as shown in 50 Fig. 4. The size of the pilot means I5 relative to l thetubular portion I2 of the die enables the pilot lmeans to. act also as a stripper preventing passage of the cut-out portion of the finishing material (not shown) in combination with a suitable press (not shown) carrying my die means it is possible to remove portions of the finishing material overlying apertures in a section of the backing not 5 only in an eilicientway, but by a quicker method than has formerly been used for this purpose.

While many forms of stud members have been used in securing upholstery panels to suitable framework, I prefer to use a snap fastener member such as shown in Figs. 6'through 10 preferably formed of two pieces comprising a retaining part I1 and a yieldable socket-engaging part I8 assembled with the retaining part and having a portion combining with the retaining part toy secure the fastener member to the panel. The retaining part I1 in my preferred form has a flanged base portion I9 and a hollow cup-shaped portion 2li preferably formed from the material of the base portion I9 and extending beneath the same. as most clearly illustrated in Figs. '1,

9 and 10. 'I'he material of the retaining part I1 adiacent to the bottom has been punched outframe.

'Ihe clip member has a pair of legs .22, connected at their leading ends.;as shown at 23, to furnish a certain amount of spring action. The

, free end portions -24-24 of the legs 22--22 are in crossed relation, as most clearly shown' in Figs. 3 and i0, for a purpose which will be described. Intermediate with the connected ends of the legs 22--22 and the respective freey end portions 24-24, the legs are bent to provide bowed portions 25"'-25 shaped and arranged to engage a cooperating socket with a snap action. 'I'he clip member Il is easily assembled with the retaining part I1 by inserting each of the free end portions 24-24 through the respective apertures formed in the cup-shaped portion 20 so that the outermost ends ofthe portions 24-24 are substantially even with the louter surface of the wall ofthe cup-shaped portion 20, as most clearly illustrated in Figs. 3, 7 and l0. 'Ihe free end portions 24-24' are normally set in this position preventing ready removal of the clip member from the re- 'taining part before the snap fastener member is finally attached to the upholstery panel.

To assemble my improved snap fastener with the upholstery panel it is only necessary to insert the cup-shaped portion 20 of the retaining part oi' the fastener through an uncovered aperture 5 of the backing 4 so that the ange I9 engages the inside surfaceof the backing 4 adja- 6 cent to the aperture (Fig. 3). The Wadding 1 is compressed slightly by the bottom of the cupshaped portion 20 as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5 thereby taking up the body of the portion 20 so that no noticeable bulge is formed in the outer, or normally exposed, surface of the upholstery panel. For this reason I prefer to include the wadding 1 in my panel installation because without it it is probable that a slight bump or unevenness would be caused in the finishing material due-to the fact that, in a thin installation, it is necessary that the retaining part I1 extend slightly beneath the backing 4, as shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 5 of the drawings.

To attach permanently the snap fastener member to the upholstery panel pressure is exerted /of resiliency for holding in the aperture in thel in an inwardly direction upon the bowed portion 25 of each of the arms 22-22 thereby forcing the free end portions 24-24 away from each other beyond the peripheral walls of the cupshaped portion 20 so as to engage the opposite surface of the backing 4 from the flange means Il. As a result of' this action, the end portions 24-24 are set in engagement with the backing 4' and cooperate with the flange I9 to hold the fastener member in rigid assembly with the panel.' After my snap fastener members are permanently assembled with the upholstery panel, satisfactory shoulder portions are provided by the arms 22-22 to enable the clip member to engage witha socket means 3 of a support, as shown in Fig. 2, even though the bowed formation of the arms 22-22 hasbeen straightened out to a slight degree as a result of the action by which the end portions 24-24 are set further away from each other.

Any satisfactory tool means may be employed for engaging the arms 22-22 to move the free end portions 24-24 apart so as to become set in engagement with the backing 4, but .the tool which I have chosen to illustrate my invention is shown in a general way in Fig. 5, some of the parts of the tool having been removed to show the important parts. In general, the tool illustrated in Fig. 5 is made up with an outer casing 26 having a spring-actuated retaining means, which is not shown in the drawings, slidabiy mounted within the casing 26. Assembled within the retaining means are a pair of actuating 'arms 21, each having a camming surface 28 and a. portion 29 at its outermost end adapted to engage the bowed portions 25-25 of the socketengaging partx I8 for forcing the arms 22-22 toward each other to move the end portions 24-24 away from each other. A supporting means 30 is positioned .between the arms 21-21 for receiving the connected end portion 23 of the clip member when the tool is initially applied to the fastener. In attaching the fastener member to the panel the cup-shaped portion 20 of the retaining member is first extended through an aperture 5 of the backing substantially as described and the tool means is then inserted Iover the clip' member so that the connected porand engage the panel. When downward pressure A is exerted upon the casing 26, camming means 3I-3I engage the cam surfaces 28-28 ofthe arms causing the arms to squeeze the legs 22-22 of the clip member toward each other for the purpose which .has been described.

After assembly of the parts of the panel the method by which the snap fastener member may be attached to the panel. f

Although I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby because the scope of I claim:

1. A snap fastener member having a retaining part, a snap fastener stud having free end por-e. tions engagin'g said retaining part prior to attachment of the retaining part to a support, and said stud having means operable to force said free end portions outwardly beyond said retainer and away from each other for thepurpose described.

2. A snap fastener member having a hollow cup-shaped retaining part provided with apertures in the peripheral wall thereof, a snap fastener stud having freeend portions located within said retaining part and extendingv into said apertures prior to attachment of the retaining portion to a support, and said stud having means operable to force -the free end portions through the apertures of the retaining portion and beyond the wall. thereof.

3. A snap fastener member having a hollow retaining part provided with a flange at one end adapted to engage one surface of a support, said retaining part provided with apertures in the peripheral wall thereof, a snap fastener stud having a socket-engaging part located outside said iiange and free end portions located within said retaining part prior to attachment of the retaining part to a support, said end portions being in alignment with the apertures of said retaining part, and said socket-engaging part having yieldable means operable to force the free end portions through the apertures of said retaining part.

4. A snap fastener member having a hollow retaining part having a flange and a tubular portion, a snap fastener stud having crossed free end portions located within said tubular portion prior to attachment of the retaining part to a support, and said stud means having outwardly bowed yieldable arm portions connected at one end and arranged to yield toward each other when contracting pressure is applied thereto thereby forcing said free end portions beyond the peripheral wall of said tubular portion to cooperate with said ange to hold the snap fastener stud and retainer in position on a support.

5. A snap fastener member having a cupshaped part provided'with apertures in the `pe ripheral wall thereof adjacent to the bottom, said cup-shaped part having a ange adjacent to the open end thereof, a snap fastener stud means having crossed free end portions located within said cup-shaped part, and said stud means having bowed arm portions connected at one end extending Vbeyond said cup-shaped part, said arms arranged to yield under pressure exerted thereupon in an inwardly direction so `that the end portions may-be forced outwardly through the apertures in the cup-shaped part to attach the fastener member to a suitable supporting` structure.

6. A snap fastener member having a hollow retaining part provided with apertures in the peripheral wall thereof, a snap fastener stud having free end portions located within said retaining part and extending into said apertures, and said stud having means operableV to force the free end portions into or out of the apertures of the retaining portion. Y' y 7. A` fastening device comprising an apertured retaining part, a head, a shank, said shank comprising leg members integrally united to form a leading end for the device, said leg members extending in divergi'ng relation toward said head and being laterallyoifset with respect tov each other, said head having portions engagingin the apertures of said retaining part when said leg v members are kin normal, untensioned relation.

8. A fastening device comprising an apertured retaining p'art adapted to be anchored to a supported, member, a head connected thereto, a shank, said shank comprising leg members integrally united to form a leading end for the de vice, said leg members extending in converging` relation toward the leading end of the device and being laterally offset withrespect to each other -in normal, untensioned relation.

9. A fastening device comprising an apertured retaining 'part adapted to be attached tov a supported member, a head connected thereto,` a shank, said shankcomprising leg members. integrally united to form a leading end for the device, said leg members extending in diverging relation and'thereafter converging and crossing toward the head and being laterally offset with respect to each other, and means provided on said leg members adapted toengage in a work aperture to resist withdrawal of the device (from applied fastening position. i

10. A fastening device comprising an'apertured retaining part adapted to be attached to a supported member, a head'connected thereto, a shank, said shank comprising leg` members integrally united to. form,v a leading end-for the device, said leg members extending in converging relation and thereafter converging and crossing toward the leading end and being laterally offset with respect to each other, and means provided y on said leg members adapted to engage in a work aperture under tension to seat the device and `resist movement thereof from applied fastening position.

. 11. A snap fastener stud member having a resilient shank comprising bowed arms of normally non-resilient material connected at their leading ends to form a nose providing a spring tension for said arms, said arms diverging from said nose and then converging providing a yieldably contracting stud adapted to be snapped into engagement with an aperture of a support, the freeend.

portions of said arms being initially disposed in crossed relation one to the other with their extremities extending outwardly in opposite directions, and being deformable to be extended outwardly a substantial distance under deforming clamping pressure while remaining in substantially xed position when the bowed arms are contracted'under the. spring tension of said nose, as

when the stud member is snapped through an aperture of a support.

12. A snap fastener stud member comprising a loop of relatively soft non-resilient material vproviding outwardly bowed arms closed at their leading ends to form a nose providing a spring tension for said arms, said outwardly bowed arms being contracted toward each other under the under spring tension oi' said nosedue to the softness of the material of the shank.

13. A snap fastener stud member having a resilient shank comprising bowed `arms of nor.

mally -non-resilient material connected at their leading ends to form a nose providing a spring tension for said arms, said arms diverging from said nose and then converging providing a yield,- ably contracting stud adapted to be snapped into enagagement with an aperture of a support, the free end portions of said arms` being initially disposed iny crossed relation one .to the other with their respective free ends extending outwardly in opposite directions, a restraining member embracing the crossed portions of said arms inwardly of the free end extremities thereof, the end portions of said arms being deformable by said restraining member under clamping pressure whereby the free end extremities are extended outwardly a substantial distance beyond said restraining member.

14. A snap fastener stud member having a resilient shank comprising bowed arms connected at their leading ends to form a nose providing a spring tension for said arms, said arms diverging from` said nose and then converging and crossing each other toward their free ends, providing a yieldable contracting stud adapted to be snapped into engagement with an-aperture of a support, the extremities of said arms extending outwardly in opposite directions and lying in a common horizontal plane'.

15. A snap fastener stud member having a resilient shank comprising bowed arms connected at their leading ends to form a nose providing a 4spring tension for said arms, said arms diverging from said nose and then converging and crossing each other toward their free ends, providing a yieldable contracting stud adapted to be snapped into engagement with an aperture of a support, the extremities of saidv arms 4exf tending outwardly. in opposite directions and other being intermediate the length of the stud 20 and between said nose and the extremities of said arm.

17. A snap fastener stud member having a resilient shank comprising bowed arms connected' at their leading ends to form a nose providing a spring tension for said arms, said arms diverging from said nose and then converging and crossing each other toward their free ends, providing a yieldable contracting stud adapted to be snapped into engagement with an aperture 30 of a support, the portions of said arms beyond said crossing continuing away from said nose and terminatingA in opposite outwardly extending extremities.

FREDERICK N. ROSS. 

